Miss Potter stars Renee Zelweggar as Beatrix Potter, the creator of Peter Rabbit, among others well-beloved characters such as Jemima Puddleduck and the Flopsy Bunnies.
I have always loved the Peter Rabbit books. Despite the beautiful, soothing watercolor illustrations, Beatrix Potter did not coddle her young readers. She used a challenging, but rhythmically perfect vocabulary, and didn't pull any punches about the dangers inherent in living. I don't think you could get a children's book published today in which the protagonist's father had an "accident" and was made into a pie by a farmer's wife - at least, not without a fight. Beatrix Potter respected her young readers and wrote directly to real children, not to an idealized adult vision of what children should be. For all of these reasons, I've always liked Beatrix Potter in a sort of abstract way. Plus, Nabakov is quoted as saying that "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" is a structurally perfect narrative, and damned if I don't think he's right.
The film, Miss Potter, only broadened my respect for Beatrix Potter. She was independent, quirky, whimsical and odd, but she also stuck to her principals with an amazing degree of insight and integrity. The film itself blends blends a realistic portrayal of its heroine with dashes of whimsey and subtle animation that serve to underscore Potter's unique vision.
Renee Zelweggar is completely charming as the eponymous Miss Potter, Ewan McGregor is lovely as Norman Warne, Miss Potter's first publisher, and Emily Watson is delightful as his sister, Millie. Everything about the movie is gentle and warm, but with an air of not glossing over difficulties, much like Miss Potter's own work.
Miss Potter was a quiet, joyful, poignant little film, one I think I would like to own, which is saying something for me. It was lovely to watch and to learn more about the woman who gave us Peter Rabbit, the children's book character that almost instantly became an icon.
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